Shanghai issues fifth red heat alert

A giant panda lies on blocks of ice to cool off from the summer heat at its zoo enclosure in Wuhan, Hubei province August 6, 2013. – Reuters picSHANGHAI, Aug 7 — Shanghai issued a red alert for high temperatures today, the fifth issued this year.

Temperatures are expected to exceed 40º Celsius in the city on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sweating through the hottest July on record, Shanghai saw a record-high temperature of 40.6º Celsius on July 26.

The previous record was in 1934 when 40.2º Celsius was recorded.

A new record for consecutive hot days was also reported in July, with temperatures exceeding 38º Celsius for eight straight days.

The heat is expected to linger in Shanghai until Sunday, when a subtropical high that has boosted temperatures in the city will move north, the municipal meteorological station said.

China uses a three-tier colour-coded warning system for high temperatures, with red representing the hottest weather followed by orange and yellow. – Bernama

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